


A trail of hope

by guren666



Category: Ratchet & Clank
Genre: Don't Examine This Too Closely, Enemies to Friends, Gen, My First Work in This Fandom, Pre - Friendship, Rebuilding Trust, Reunion, This isn't canon, budding friendship, can be seen as Ratchet/Ace if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-06
Updated: 2018-05-06
Packaged: 2019-05-03 00:31:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14556963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/guren666/pseuds/guren666
Summary: Story continues a few months after Tachyon's defeat as Ratchet and Talwyn search for clues about Clank's disappearance. Out of desperation, Talwyn gets an idea - to visit Smuggler who might point them towards Clank's whereabouts.A few weeks after the Lombax tracked down the elusive man, Ratchet is sitting in a bar on a space station, where he's supposed to meet a contact who might shed some light on the matter.Ratchet just never expected that man to be Ace Hardlight of all people.





	1. Unanticipated Reunion

**Author's Note:**

> Just so you all know, I am aware of the inconsistencies in this story, but I really wanted Ace and Ratchet to make up after events in Deadlocked. I believe the man deserves a second chance, so here is my take on it.  
> Story takes place after Tools of Destruction and before Quest for Booty to clear up any additional misunderstandings. This is my first work in Ratchet & Clank fandom. I've been a fan since the first game came out on Playstation 2, I followed through all the games and I can say with confidence Ratchet Deadlocked is my favorite.  
> I hope you'll like it ~

Ratchet was having one of those days where he sort of wished he got hit by a speeding transport before he reached his destination. Ever since Clank vanished on him, Ratchet has been searching left and right. Talwyn was... trying to help him the best she could, but he didn’t need consolation, he wanted leads.

Many fruitless nights he chased after the shadows and fake leads, only to be left devastated when he didn’t find Clank and the supposed location. The cosmos was a big place, how could Ratchet find him? It was at Talwyn’s desperate idea to ask a certain black market dealer guy for help.

And as such, the Smuggler offered some insight (after a hefty sum of bolts of course) and now, he was off to Zeldrin Starport, the place he thought he’d never visit again.

 

~▪~

 

 

Ever since Nefarious’ defeat, the place changed for better and actually resembled a proper starport. Ratchet was momentarily stunned by the amount of travelers that passed through here. Last time he was here, this place was crumbling and was under occupation of Nefarious’ troops. So much has changed in those years.

Ratchet sat at the bar, waiting for the information broker to show up, drinking casually. He reminisced about a few things. How he, Al and Clank got kidnapped and he’s been made into an unwilling participant in DreadZone, where he met former heroes, pitted against each other in a deadly dance of bullets and plots.

In the end, Vox was defeated, all heroes were freed and all ended well. Ratchet took a sip, coming to an empty bottom of glass. He eyed it and then put it down, scoffing. Who knew a few drinks would make him reminisce about his gladiator past. The Lombax didn’t like to think about that capitol of his life, mainly because of what it made him realize. People change. Some for better, some for worse. His example of that was Ace. Ace Hardlight, the guy he lowkey admired as a little child whenever he heard of him and his crew on holovision.

In cold blood, he killed countless heroes. Ratchet ordered another pint, his green eyes gazing at the depths of his beverage.

 

_“Yeah, I remember hearing about Ace Hardlight when I was a kid. He was this famous hero who disappeared.” Ratchet exclaimed, looking thoroughly intrigued by what he learned from the broadcast._

_“That must have been someone else. Why would a hero kill another heroes. For money?” Clank added._

_They heard steps and there he stood before them, almost sneering. “Not money, tinman. FUN.”_

_Ace seized them with that smirk on his face, while Ratchet was robbed of speech because of how angry he felt._

_“I do not understand.” Clank mumbled and Ace laughed in their faces. That’s when Ratchet’s anger erupted on the surface, he pointed at him. “You traitor! You think this is some kinda game!?”_

_The older man balled up his fist and it collided with his other palm, making a loud **smack!** sound. “That’s exactly what it is, furball. And you’re going to be the star of my highlight reel.” His finger poked Ratchet’s armor as he got close to his face. “Hmp. I’ll see you soon Lombax.” _

_And he walked off, leaving Ratchet with too many unanswered questions._

 

 

Ratchet, emerging back from rather bitter memories scowled at the drunks around him, some were too loud and obnoxious. Squinting, he drank half of his current glass, emptying its contents when a tall stature tapped on the bar counter, to get the bartender’s attention. “The usual. Thanks.”

 

Those three words made his reality turn upside down. No, it can’t be! He’s dead! He saw Ace die!

He turned as if in slow motion, his eyes widened. It can’t be... Ace Hardlight is standing before him. He leaned on the bar, facing him. “You look like you’re waiting for someone.”

The bartender slid the drink to him, which he promptly caught and mischievously raised his glass. “To our reunion, Ratchet.”

 

Ratchet glared at him. If looks could kill, Ace would be dead for sure. Ace sensed the hostility and quickly finished his drink, putting down the empty glass and locked eyes with the Lombax who was ready to blast him to smithereens if he said something highly inappropriate. “The Red Jolly. But you can call me Ace. I hate code names.” He held out his hand, which of course Ratchet didn’t shake. They had a... history. And not the type of ‘jealous lover’ or ‘tax man extortionist’ either. Theirs was a bit different history. Bad blood and unresolved tension.

 

Ratchet continued glaring, cursing Smuggler for recommending The Red Jolly to him. “I was expecting someone else, not Ace Hardlight coming back from the dead.”

 

“If you stayed long enough after the match, you’d see how I got carried off to the medical center and my wounds got tended to. After you freed everyone, I got sent to Zordoom Prison for my punishment. A few months later, I was released because of good behavior. To cut the story short – I was out of cash and assuming this dangerous, but highly lucrative job was the first right decision I made in years.”

 

“Good behavior, huh? It doesn’t change the fact what you did. For _fun_.” Ratchet referenced how he massacred plenty of DreadZone contestants and injured Al. The latter still made Ratchet’s blood boil with outrage. Resentment got the better of him and he pulled out his Combuster gun and pointed it un –ceremonially at Ace’s forehead. “So start talking, before I do something unreasonable. For _fun_.”

Their argument got the attention of the drunken clientele and not to mention the bartender got sassy. “Kill each other somewhere else, but not in the vicinity of my damned bar! Out, both of you!”

Grunting, Ratchet stopped pointing at him and put the gun away... for now. He paid his tab and walked off, while Ace was fumbling with his share of tab.

Hot headed, Ratchet headed to a intergalactic terminal, finding an empty seat, sitting down. It was a quiet corner of the spaceport due to its location away from more popular destinations’ terminals. After a short while of idly sitting, Ace found him and carefully approached.

The look on Lombax’s face was a warning, which he heeded and stopped at a safe distance. “Look, I know the last time we met we left off on a wrong foot, but ever since my probation ended, I’ve changed. I’m not saying I’m a saint now, but I don’t condemn violence now so freely. All I ask is that you give me a chance to redeem myself, Ratchet.”

As stubborn as he was, the Lombax needed Ace’s help, provided he was the information broker he claimed to be. “You’re incredibly lucky I didn’t shoot you yet. Let’s get to business, you have information and I got the bolts. Let’s cut a deal.”

“Yeah, about that. I’ve got a problem and I could use another gun in my corner. What do you say? Favor for a favor. You help me, I help you.”

 

“What stops me from just making you give out the information by force?” He challenged Ace with a raised brow, both men knew how it would end.

“I suppose you could, but you wouldn’t do that. You’re not a criminal and threats are not your style.” Ace stated the truth, to which Ratchet pursed lips, pondering about the offer, when he looked at him. “Be more specific and cut to the chase. What do you want?” He said it out more coldly than he wanted, but at that moment he didn’t care. Too much crap happened for the Lombax to be calm and collected. And now he was forced to work together with an old enemy.

Ace looked around. “As for that, I’ll tell you in my shuttle. Let’s go.”

Ratchet sighed, standing up. “Lead the way.”


	2. A Packaged Deal

It was too silent in the shuttle. Ace had his hands full with piloting, even though he could just set auto – pilot. Ratchet knew that Ace was stalling. He hadn’t spoken about the favor yet or just how much troublesome it’s gonna be.

Knowing Smuggler and his ‘business deals’ Ratchet wasn’t looking forward to whatever Ace had in mind for the favor. No matter how much he claimed to have turned over a new leaf, the Lombax wasn’t about to lower his guard. He’d be stupid to blindly trust Ace. After DreadZone, Ratchet’s naive notion that everyone could be good if they tried was buried.

His train of thoughts was interrupted when suddenly Ace spoke up, navigating through a asteroid belt with ease. “We’re pretty close to the location. Figured I should give you a short briefing before we go there.”

Damn right he owed him an explanation why he was dragging him across half the Solana Galaxy to some backwater planet. Lombax shifted his lean frame on the seat, eyeing the one other man with distrust. “Out with it, where are we going and why.” Ratchet wasn’t in the mood for riddles, it must have reflected on his demeanor and tone, because he caught glimpse of Ace’s eyes fixed on him.

“Straight to the point. You’ve certainly changed. Not the same Lombax I met a couple years back.”

 

And who’s fault is it exactly, Ratchet thought to himself, still salty about being forced to work with his old enemy. The next time he sees Smuggler, he’s getting slapped across the face. Irritated at how nonchalant Ace was about the situation at hand, he scoffed. “Cut the crap. Unlike you who has time on his hands, I don’t have such luxury.”

 

Ace bit into his tongue, in order to refrain from making snide comments. Ratchet is right on that. Time might be limited for his robotic friend, of course he’s on edge. Testing the Lombax’s patience was ill advised, especially if he’s in need of his help. He typed in the protocol for auto – pilot in the shuttle controls, then he unbuckled the safety belt and stood up, approaching the glaring younger male. “We’re dropping to a cache site on planet Shaar. I bought the location of smuggled cache full of goods, ripe for taking. I’ve got a buyer and before you say it’s for criminal organisation, let me tell you it’s not. I can’t tell you who it is, we smugglers have a policy to not spill our clients names. It’s bad for business. Anyhow, I’m rambling. Back to the point. Our good friend Smuggler _might_ have sold the navpoint to more people and they might not be as diplomatic as me. Since you bested me once in combat and I highly regard your skills, your help on this matter would be very welcome.”

“If we haven’t met at Zeldrin, would you have sought out assistance elsewhere?”

“Naturally, but you wanted information and I wanted someone who could handle themselves in battle, if it came down to that. It worked out for both of us.”

Ratchet’s eyes squinted in mistrust, rising on his feet upon hearing the ship’s beeping, alerting them of their close proximity to the navpoint. He approached the small window, looking on as the shuttle entered atmosphere and was slowly descending.

Shaar didn’t change much. Still frozen. And cold. And just unpleasant place to live in for organic beings. Or maybe it was just him being so sensitive to extremely cold hazard weather. His palm touched the window, looking on at the frosty landscape before them. The shuttle set down safely, partially hidden behind a mountain.

Behind him, the man was checking on his equipment. Grunting affirmatively, he opened the only door out. “Let’s speak first if it’s an option. If the scavengers there turn hostile, only then we shoot.” Ace reminded him, to which the Lombax nodded, swallowing the ball of anxiety in his throat. He had a bad feeling about this.

Ace swiftly left the vessel, he sneaked up to a small gap that granted a view on the glade below. Ratchet followed, crouching down next to him. His green eyes made out five, no six people, armed and geared up. Two of them were standing on each side of the huge crates that were opened, revealing the stolen cache. Other four were busy carrying in and out some of the lighter goods, stacking them up. The two on lookout didn’t notice them yet. Ratchet nudged Ace’s arm. “Well, what now?” He spoke in almost whisper.

He didn’t like it. Why did his hunches always have to be true. For once he’d like a nice, easy job with no danger whatsoever. “We go down. Maybe we can negotiate.”

 

Ratchet snorted. By the looks from distance, those men were brutes ready to kill on sight. But this was Ace’s operation, he’s here as hired gun. “Be prepared for the worst, these guys look like mercenaries.” His warning fell on deaf ears as the older man was already half way down, sliding on the icy ground, directly into the lion’s den.

Well, there he goes. Solemnly, he slid after Ace, his eyes were set on the two on lookout. They finally noticed their presence, alerting others to stop unloading the cargo.

Ace and Ratchet walked up to them, albeit their progression was halted when six guns were trailed on them. Ratchet was ready to counter – attack at any moment, his fingers itching for action. Whatever happens next is up to Ace, if he can pull off a negotiation. “Hands up! Who are you!?” One of the six came forward, his gun laser was pointed between Ratchet’s eyes. Reluctantly, they put hands in the air. The guy might have been the leader of the mercs. “I’ll ask again, who are you.” He raised voice, the tension was rising. The supposed leader asked Ratchet, but it was Ace who answered.

“No need to be so unfriendly, good man. I bought this navpoint, but seeing as we’re not the only ones who did, the way I see it, we both have dips on the cache. Tell you what, I can make you a deal.” Ace offered a peaceful alternative, but Ratchet saw the greed in the leader’s eyes.

“No. Kill them.” The leader ordered, turning his back on them. In split second, five shots were fired and all of them missed. Ratchet’s fast instincts saved both their lives. He pushed Ace away, three bullets missed. Other two that were headed his way he evaded by jumping aside. Mid air, he deployed several Plasma Beasts that did the rest of job, tearing through the armor of mercs.

Unconscious, but not dead yet they were momentarily removed from the battle. Hearing the odd sounds, the merc leader slowly turned around. Ratchet had enough of this charade. Before Ace could stop him, he punched the leader hard in the stomach and he fell on the icy ground, face first. Ace only stared blankly at the changed Lombax who just took care of six men double his size.

A bit late, he put away his unused guns, looking at the scattered bodies on the ground. They weren’t dead, which pleased him. Killing mindlessly wasn’t the answer to everything. Ratchet faced him with unreadable expression. “That was impressive. I never knew you for the ruthless type of guy Ratchet.”

“Spare me your juvenile wit. Let’s grab this cargo and get out of here before these mercenaries wake up.”

He was right, no point in lingering there. They climbed up the ledge to his shuttle. Ratchet sat down, pondering. Did he really change so much? All he wanted was to find his friend, his only real family that he had.

Meanwhile the Lombax was deadlocked in an internal conflict, Ace started up the engine and soon they were airborne again. He set out a signal and in a blink of eye, a large ship showed up. It hovered above the cache and pulled it inside the ship via a grav tether. A voice of a man Ratchet heard somewhere before spoke up on the ship comms. “Nicely done, expect your payment soon.”

And then, the ship disappeared, warping to the center of Solana. Ace gingerly laughed. “Another job done. Good work out there, Ratchet.”

“You can show your gratitude by telling me where to look for Clank.” Ratchet said, fully aware how tense the atmosphere was in the shuttle.

He was silent. The Lombax had enough of mind games. “Tell. Me. Now.” He growled, growing irked.

Ace sighed, gripping the ship controls. “Look, about your friend... I’m sorry. Truth is, I don’t know his whereabouts. After I got out of Zordoom Prison, I wanted to meet you and apologize for everything I put you through in DreadZone.”

 

Ratchet’s world collapsed on itself. No, _no_.

“What...”

Ace stopped navigating, letting the shuttle drift in the space, along with them. He strut to him and squatted next to him. “I’m sorry for lying to you, Ratchet. But know that I want to help you find Clank. I can’t triangulate down his position, but I know of something that might help track down the Zoni. Where are the Zoni, there is a high chance your friend will be.”

Ratchet raised a brow at him, questioningly. “Oh really? And what’s that something?”

 

“The IRIS Supercomputer. It anything can narrow down where Clank is, it’s IRIS.”

 

He gave it a thought. IRIS would know of Zoni. Ace was right, maybe he should pay another visit to it. But to do that, he needs to get Talwyn...

 

 

Ratchet looked up at him. “You held your part of bargain. Now, could you bring me back to Zeldrin Starport? My ship is still docked there.”

Ace grinned, standing up. “Of course. Anything for my Lombax friend.”

 

Ratchet blinked. A friend. Could Ace be his friend, after what happened with Vox. Maybe he should try to forgive him. Ace was once a hero. And heroes sometimes make bad decisions. What matters is they are willing to atone for their mistakes.

 

The man, once a hero now a smuggler set the course for Zeldrin Starport as they sat in silence for a while. Ratchet looked at his hands, clenching. “Ace. I can’t forget what happened back at DreadZone. You did horrible things, but what matters now is the present. You’re claiming you have changed. I’m willing to trust you. But this is your last chance Ace.”

 

Ace nodded, his eyes focused on the navigation. “That’s all I ask Ratchet. A second chance. Thank you.”

 

“Don’t thank me yet. If IRIS cannot help me, then you’ll have to find me someone else who can help. I am not leaving Clank behind.”

 

“Fair enough, Ratchet. I don’t have many friends, being a former hero turned criminal and now somewhat good at his job smuggler doesn’t help my damaged reputation. It’d be grand to call you my friend.”

 

Ratchet cracked a short smile. “Rebuilding trust takes time, Ace. But maybe after a few months I could see myself becoming friends with you.”

 

“Thanks.” He murmured softly.

 

 

Lombax chuckled lightly, looking out the window. They exited the Shadow Sector. Even if much was uncertain, hope welled up in him.

 

 

_Hang on pal, I’m coming._


End file.
